Faith in Different Languages
Discover 'Faith' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Faith, a powerful and profound concept, holds immense significance across various cultures and religions worldwide. It represents a deep-seated belief or trust in something unseen, be it a higher power, moral values, or the goodness of humanity. This intangible yet potent force has shaped civilizations, inspired art and literature, and influenced human behavior for millennia.
Throughout history, faith has been a cornerstone of human experience. From the ancient Egyptians' devotion to their gods, to the perseverance of marginalized communities in the face of adversity, faith has demonstrated its resilience and adaptability. It transcends language, creed, and geographical boundaries, making it a universal human experience.
Understanding the translation of 'faith' in different languages can provide valuable insights into diverse cultural perspectives. For instance, the German word for faith, 'Glaube,' also means 'loyalty' or 'fidelity,' reflecting the interconnectedness of faith and trust in interpersonal relationships. Meanwhile, the Chinese translation, '信仰,' combines the characters for 'trust' and 'teachings,' emphasizing the importance of knowledge in faith practices.
Join us as we explore the multifaceted translations of 'faith' in various languages, illuminating the rich tapestry of human spirituality and cultural diversity.
Faith
Faith in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geloof | ||
| "Geloof" comes from the Proto-West Germanic word "*ga-laubōn," meaning "to believe" or "to hold as true." | |||
| Amharic | እምነት | ||
| In Amharic, the word "እምነት" (faith) is often used to describe both religious beliefs and general trust. | |||
| Hausa | bangaskiya | ||
| "Bangaskiya" means "faith" in Hausa and derives from the Arabic word "baṅgāshiya" meaning "assurance". | |||
| Igbo | okwukwe | ||
| In Igbo, the word | |||
| Malagasy | finoana | ||
| The Malagasy word "finoana" is derived from the Arabic word "iman", meaning "belief" or "faith". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chikhulupiriro | ||
| The word 'chikhulupiriro' is derived from a verb that means to trust or rely, and the prefix 'chi-' to denote the noun form. | |||
| Shona | kutenda | ||
| The word "kutenda" in Shona also relates to the concept of fidelity, reliability, and dependability. | |||
| Somali | iimaanka | ||
| In Somali 'iimaanka'' means 'the state of believing,' which can extend to include both trust and confidence as well as religious faith. | |||
| Sesotho | tumelo | ||
| The word "tumelo" in Sesotho also refers to a belief in the power of a higher being or beings. | |||
| Swahili | imani | ||
| The Swahili word "imani" also means "belief" or "religion" and derives from the Arabic word "īmān" (faith). | |||
| Xhosa | ukholo | ||
| "Ukholo" is also used to refer to a type of traditional medicine that is believed to have healing powers. | |||
| Yoruba | igbagbọ | ||
| Igbagbọ is linguistically rooted in the Yoruba concept of belief and trust, and can also refer to the hope or expectation of a future event or outcome. | |||
| Zulu | ukholo | ||
| Ukholo literally means 'something leaned on', from khola, 'to rely on'. | |||
| Bambara | dannaya | ||
| Ewe | xᴐse | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kwizera | ||
| Lingala | kondima | ||
| Luganda | okukkiriza | ||
| Sepedi | tumelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | gyidie | ||
Faith in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الإيمان | ||
| The word | |||
| Hebrew | אֱמוּנָה | ||
| The Hebrew word אֱמוּנָה can also refer to "truthfulness" or "reliability". | |||
| Pashto | باور | ||
| In Pashto, the word 'باور' can also refer to belief in supernatural beings or forces. | |||
| Arabic | الإيمان | ||
| The word | |||
Faith in Western European Languages
| Albanian | besim | ||
| "Besim" in Albanian also refers to a religious community or belief system, including non-theistic ones. | |||
| Basque | fedea | ||
| Fedea is a Basque word originating from the Late Latin 'fede' | |||
| Catalan | fe | ||
| In Catalan, besides the religious meaning of "faith", "fe" can also mean "deed" or "fact". | |||
| Croatian | vjera | ||
| In Croatian, 'vjera' can also refer to the name of a medieval assembly or belief in general. | |||
| Danish | tro | ||
| The word “tro” also means “trust” in Old Norse, and is related to the English word “true”. | |||
| Dutch | geloof | ||
| Geloof, meaning “faith” in Dutch, is derived from a Proto-Indo-European root signifying “to think” or “to know”. | |||
| English | faith | ||
| English word "faith" derives from Latin "fides", meaning "trust" as well as "loyalty" or "honesty" | |||
| French | foi | ||
| In French, the word "foi" can also refer to a pledge, a sworn oath, or a feudal pact. | |||
| Frisian | leauwe | ||
| The Frisian word "leauwe" is cognate to the English word "belief". | |||
| Galician | fe | ||
| In Galician, "fe" additionally refers to a small area where crops or grass can grow. | |||
| German | vertrauen | ||
| The German word "Vertrauen" is also used in a specific legal context to indicate a "fiduciary duty" or a "mandate"} | |||
| Icelandic | trú | ||
| Trú, meaning "faith" in Icelandic, is linked to the Old Norse word trúa, which means "to rely on" or "to trust". | |||
| Irish | creideamh | ||
| Irish word "Creideamh" means "faith" but derives from the older word "creidim," meaning "I believe". | |||
| Italian | fede | ||
| 'Fede' derives from the Latin 'fides', meaning 'trust' or 'loyalty'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | glawen | ||
| The word "Glawen" is derived from the Old High German word "galoubo", meaning "belief" or "trust". | |||
| Maltese | fidi | ||
| "Fidi" also refers to the Catholic diocese in Malta or to a traditional cotton scarf worn by local female devotees. | |||
| Norwegian | tro | ||
| The word "tro" in Norwegian can also refer to "belief" or "trust" and is derived from the Old Norse "trau" meaning "to believe" or "to trust". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fé | ||
| Fé originates from the Latin word "fides", meaning "trust" or "confidence". In Portuguese, it has the additional meaning of "belief" or "religion". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | creideamh | ||
| Creideamh, 'faith' in Scots Gaelic, derives from the Old Irish word 'cretem', and cognate with Welsh 'cred', Cornish 'cres', and Breton 'cred' | |||
| Spanish | fe | ||
| In Spanish, 'fe' can also refer to belief in something that isn't necessarily religion. | |||
| Swedish | tro | ||
| The word "tro" comes from Old Norse "trú", meaning "confidence, assurance". | |||
| Welsh | ffydd | ||
| Although often interpreted as 'faith', ffydd's primary meaning is 'assurance' or the act of placing trust in something. | |||
Faith in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вера | ||
| Слово «вера» в белорусском также означает «религия» | |||
| Bosnian | vjera | ||
| The word originates from Latin `verus`, true, via Italian `verità` or Venetian `vera`. | |||
| Bulgarian | вяра | ||
| The word "вяра" (faith) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *věrъ, which also means "truth" or "trust". | |||
| Czech | víra | ||
| The word “víra” also has a separate meaning, “belief,” and stems from the Proto-Indo-European root “*wero-,” meaning 'to trust' or 'to tell the truth' | |||
| Estonian | usk | ||
| Although its original meaning is unclear, it may be connected to words like "usky" and "uskuda"} | |||
| Finnish | usko | ||
| The Proto-Uralic word *usko meant 'trust', 'belief', 'confidence', and 'certainty'. | |||
| Hungarian | hit | ||
| The Hungarian word "hit" can also refer to "the act of believing" or "the object of belief". | |||
| Latvian | ticība | ||
| In Old Latvian, "ticība" meant "knowledge" or "information passed down orally". | |||
| Lithuanian | tikėjimas | ||
| The etymology of "tikėjimas" in Lithuanian is uncertain, potentially stemming from Proto-Baltic "*teik-", meaning "to believe" or "to trust". | |||
| Macedonian | вера | ||
| In Bulgarian, вера (vera) means "deceit" or "treason". | |||
| Polish | wiara | ||
| "Wiara" is a Slavic word and it also means "rope" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | credinţă | ||
| The Romanian word "credinţă" derives from Latin "credentia" "belief, trust" and ultimately from the verb "credere" "to believe, to trust". | |||
| Russian | вера | ||
| The root of the word “вера” (“faith”) may have also meant “truth” and is also present in the Russian word for “credence” (“вери́ть” — “to believe”). | |||
| Serbian | вера | ||
| The root of the word 'вера' is 'вѣра', which means 'belief' or 'trust'. | |||
| Slovak | viera | ||
| The word "viera" (faith) in Slovak also means "belief", "trust", "confidence", and "credence". | |||
| Slovenian | vera | ||
| The Slovenian word "vera" also means "chain" and derives from the Proto-Slavic word *vьra, which meant both "faith" and "cord". | |||
| Ukrainian | віра | ||
| The word "віра" (faith) in Ukrainian also means "belief" or "trust" and derives from the Proto-Slavic word *vьra, which means "truth" or "rightness." | |||
Faith in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিশ্বাস | ||
| The word বিশ্বাস, meaning faith, can also mean belief, trust, or confidence. | |||
| Gujarati | વિશ્વાસ | ||
| The Gujarati word "વિશ્વાસ" is cognate to the Sanskrit word "विश्वास", which means both "faith" and "confidence". | |||
| Hindi | आस्था | ||
| The word "आस्था" (aastha) in Hindi derives from the Sanskrit root "श्रद्धा" (shraddha) meaning "faith, trust, belief, devotion" and also "an offering made to the ancestors". | |||
| Kannada | ನಂಬಿಕೆ | ||
| The word "ನಂಬಿಕೆ" can also refer to belief, trust or confidence. | |||
| Malayalam | വിശ്വാസം | ||
| The word "വിശ്വാസം" can also mean trust, confidence, or belief. | |||
| Marathi | विश्वास | ||
| विश्वास (viswās) derives from Sanskrit and also means 'assurance', 'conviction', 'certainty', 'reassurance' or 'reliance'. | |||
| Nepali | विश्वास | ||
| विश्वास, meaning 'faith' in Nepali, comes from the Sanskrit word 'Viśvāsa', meaning 'trust' or 'assurance'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਸ਼ਵਾਸ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විශ්වාසය | ||
| The word "විශ්වාසය" can refer to both religious and secular faith and can also mean "confidence" or "belief". | |||
| Tamil | நம்பிக்கை | ||
| "நம்பிக்கை" (faith) derives from Proto-Dravidian "*namb" (to trust, rely on) and can also refer to belief, trust, reliance, and confidence. | |||
| Telugu | విశ్వాసం | ||
| విశ్వాసం (faith) comes from the Sanskrit word 'viçvAsa,' which means 'to trust' or 'to be confident' | |||
| Urdu | ایمان | ||
| The Urdu word 'ایمان' (iman) originates from the Arabic root 'a-m-n' ('security'), and also has the connotation of 'belief' and 'trust'. | |||
Faith in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 信仰 | ||
| The Chinese word "信仰" (xìnyǎng) also means "belief" or "religion". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 信仰 | ||
| 信仰 (xìnyǎng) means 'belief' but also refers to a religious sect or doctrine. | |||
| Japanese | 信仰 | ||
| The word "信仰" (shinkō) can also mean "belief" or "trust" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 신앙 | ||
| The word "신앙" ("faith") in Korean can also mean "belief", "conviction", or "principle." | |||
| Mongolian | итгэл | ||
| The word "итгэл" can also refer to "belief," "trust," or "conviction." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ယုံကြည်ခြင်း | ||
Faith in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | iman | ||
| The word "iman" in Indonesian also has an alternate meaning of "belief" or "conviction." | |||
| Javanese | iman | ||
| "Iman" is also short for the Javanese phrase "iman mantap," meaning "strong faith." | |||
| Khmer | ជំនឿ | ||
| ជំនឿ means not just 'faith' but also 'belief', 'assurance', and 'confidence'. | |||
| Lao | ສັດທາ | ||
| In Buddhist contexts, 'ສັດທາ' also means 'belief in the teachings of the Buddha'. | |||
| Malay | iman | ||
| An alternate meaning of "iman" in Malay is "a belief". | |||
| Thai | ศรัทธา | ||
| In addition to the more common meaning "faith," the Thai word ศรัทธา (sà-ràt-thaa) can also refer to "respectful attention" or "devoted service." | |||
| Vietnamese | niềm tin | ||
| The word "niềm tin" also means "trust" or "confidence". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pananampalataya | ||
Faith in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | iman | ||
| "İman" sözü Arapça "eman" sözünden köken alır ve "güven" anlamına gelir. | |||
| Kazakh | сенім | ||
| The word «сенім» (senіm) «faith» comes from the Proto-Turkic word «śäŋim» «to believe», also related to the Proto-Indo-European word «*krei-» «to trust». | |||
| Kyrgyz | ишеним | ||
| Ишеним can also mean "conviction" or "belief". | |||
| Tajik | имон | ||
| The word "имон" has been used with the meaning of "conscience" in some Farsi sources. | |||
| Turkmen | iman | ||
| Uzbek | imon | ||
| The word "imon" in Uzbek also carries the meanings "belief" and "trust". | |||
| Uyghur | ئېتىقاد | ||
Faith in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | manaʻoʻiʻo | ||
| "Manaʻoʻiʻo" also refers to "thinking" and "belief" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | whakapono | ||
| The word 'whakapono' also means 'to acknowledge' or 'to make real,' suggesting that faith is not merely intellectual assent but an active commitment. | |||
| Samoan | faʻatuatua | ||
| The Samoan word "fa'atuatua" is a compound of "fa'a" (an intensifier) and "tuatua" (to be sure or certain). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pananampalataya | ||
| The word "pananampalataya" derives from the root word "ampalataya," meaning "faith" or "trust." | |||
Faith in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | iyawsawi | ||
| Guarani | jerovia | ||
Faith in International Languages
| Esperanto | fido | ||
| The word “fido” in Esperanto, derived from Latin, also signifies “trustworthy.” | |||
| Latin | fidem | ||
| The Latin word "fidem" (faith) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "bheidh-," meaning "to trust" or "to confide." | |||
Faith in Others Languages
| Greek | πίστη | ||
| The Greek word "πίστη" (pistis) originally meant "trust" or "confidence" and could refer to human relationships or to religious belief. | |||
| Hmong | kev ntseeg | ||
| The Hmong word "kev ntseeg" can also refer to "religion" or "belief system". | |||
| Kurdish | bawerî | ||
| The word 'bawerî' in Kurdish is cognate with Persian 'bāvarī' ('belief, faith') | |||
| Turkish | inanç | ||
| The word "inanç" (faith) in Turkish originates from the Arabic word "īman" (belief) and also means "trust" or "confidence". | |||
| Xhosa | ukholo | ||
| "Ukholo" is also used to refer to a type of traditional medicine that is believed to have healing powers. | |||
| Yiddish | אמונה | ||
| The Yiddish word "אמונה" also means "belief" or "trust" and derives from the Hebrew "אמן" (Amen). | |||
| Zulu | ukholo | ||
| Ukholo literally means 'something leaned on', from khola, 'to rely on'. | |||
| Assamese | ভৰসা | ||
| Aymara | iyawsawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | भरोसा | ||
| Dhivehi | އީމާންތެރިކަން | ||
| Dogri | तबार | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pananampalataya | ||
| Guarani | jerovia | ||
| Ilocano | pammati | ||
| Krio | fet | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | باوەڕ | ||
| Maithili | आस्था | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯥꯖꯕ ꯊꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | rinna | ||
| Oromo | amantii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିଶ୍ୱାସ | ||
| Quechua | iñiy | ||
| Sanskrit | विश्वासः | ||
| Tatar | иман | ||
| Tigrinya | እምነት | ||
| Tsonga | ripfumelo | ||